Amsterdam tree versus Jaguar i-Pace: Jag wins
I thought EVs were supposed to be tree huggers?
Jaguar strength
I’m no botanist, so I referred to thistree map of Amsterdam, which tells us this fallen wood is an elm tree.
Now, according to thewood-database.com, dried elm generally weighs 560 kg per cubic meter. It’s hard to make a judgement on the volume of this particular Jaguar bothering tree, but it seems fair to estimate that it weighs well over 560 kg, especially given that it’s not been dried.
However much this tree actually weight, the i-Pace has barely been troubled by it.
To protect passengers in theevent of roll-overs and dramatic crashes, roofs are now capable of supporting at least the entire weight of the car itself. This2018 studyfound that strong roofs greatly reduce severe injury and ejection risk in crashes. It also noted that modern cars’ roofs are generally speaking, getting stronger every year.
Given the i-Pace is over 2,000 kg, this tree is and will always be child’s play in comparison.
When it was released, the i-Pace was rated as one of the safest cars on the road. Vehicle safety testing company, Euro NCAP, gave the Jag its prestigious 5-star rating. You canread a totally not boring 14-page report on that here.
No one wants a tree to fall on their car, but it’s kind of nice to know that if it does happen, you’re far safer now than ever before.
It certainly looks striking to see a tree horizontally supported atop a car, but modern carsareincredibly strong. So perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised.
Hats off to friend of TNWVincent Reindersfor spotting this one out in Amsterdam today.
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Story byMatthew Beedham
Matthew is the editor of SHIFT. He likes electric cars, and other things with wheels, wings, or hulls.Matthew is the editor of SHIFT. He likes electric cars, and other things with wheels, wings, or hulls.
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